Although Yinzhen knew from Bai Shu's words that Changning was alright, just a little tired, he was still worried.
Finally, Wang Quan invited the physician from the Bai family to come over and prescribed some medicinal diet recipes.
Seeing how concerned Yinzhen was, Changning couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely take good care of myself and wait patiently for Your Highness to come back at the end of the year."
Looking into her pure eyes, Yinzhen sighed, "You little fool, how can I be at ease with you like this?"
Sensing that the Fourth Prince's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, Changning couldn't help but ask with her eyes. Seeing this, Su Peisheng took away the maids from the room, leaving only the two of them to have a private conversation.
"Some filth was found in Madam Dong's possession, mixed in with the gifts the women in the back courtyard gave to congratulate you on your pregnancy. Master had previously instructed that everything entering Qingzhi Courtyard should be personally inspected by Granny Ma and two experienced old nannies. That's how we discovered it."
At this point, Changning recalled this Lady Dong. Lady Dong was of humble status, merely a woman presented to the emperor during his imperial tour years ago. Yinzhen had always only desired women of impeccable character and had never shown her much favor.
Although Madam Dong was confident in her beauty, she was not favored and was practically invisible in the inner courtyard. She had never had any conflict with me, so why would she poison me?
Changning was puzzled, but Yinzhen had investigated clearly: "I have already given the order. Dong Shi was beaten to death, and the official statement was that she was seriously ill and moved to the estate to recuperate. In addition, Li Shi's Fuyue Courtyard has been placed under guard. However, Hongfen is seriously ill and it is not easy to move her, so it is not appropriate to deal with her for the time being. But don't worry, I will give you an explanation."
Was Dong beaten to death? Was she under the care of Fuyueyuan?
Changning understood; Dong Shi was a knife in Li Jingyue's hand!
"And the oleander incident last time, that was also done by Li Shi. Her crimes are heinous, and Your Majesty will not tolerate it. We will just wait until the Second Prince's health improves or..." At this point, Yinzhen paused.
Changning understood that the unfinished words were about the death of the Second Prince.
"Once the matter with the Second Prince is settled, I will not give her a way out. But I remember Yao Xian said before that she wanted to handle things herself. What are your thoughts?"
Looking into Yinzhen's eyes, Changning pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I originally hated that mastermind to death, thinking I would make her pay a terrible price. But, Li Shi has a child, and I have a child too..."
At this point, Changning raised her head and looked at Yinzhen, "Your Highness, please handle this. I will listen to Your Highness."
Yinzhen's heart softened; Yaoxian was truly kind and gentle.
The two embraced, enjoying a tender moment. But Changning knew in her heart that Yinzhen would not let Li Shi off the hook; he would not tolerate her repeated attacks on their offspring.
The next day, Changning slept until she naturally woke up.
When she woke up, she found Yinzhen standing not far away, reading a book. After stretching, she was helped up by Chuixue and Wangyue.
Seeing Changning's languid appearance, Yinzhen couldn't help but say, "You're quite carefree, sleeping until now. I'm sleeping soundly next to you."
As Changning sat and let Pinhua comb his hair, he replied with a smile, "Life is too short, Master, so naturally I don't have to pay attention to anything."
"Look, this is a birthday gift from your father." Yinzhen walked over and had Su Peisheng bring over a mahogany makeup box. Changning was doing her makeup at the time. When she opened it, she found the box full of jewelry.
Unlike usual, these pieces of jewelry all feature jade hairpins, which were always specially made for her.
Changning smiled with delight, "Master, you've been preparing for this for a long time, haven't you?"
"That's good. You can take your time to pick one out today. Do you see anything you like?"
Changning flipped through the items and found a jade hairpin with lifelike patterns, as if water could drip from the flower's stamen. In the center was a piece of fine white crystal, which was now emitting a soft halo. Under the sunlight, the entire jade hairpin seemed to come alive.
Changning loved this piece; she felt it captured the essence of a real flower and possessed a more lively quality than other jewelry. So she instructed Pinhua to put it on her.
The elegant lady, with a jade hairpin adorning her temples, possessed a face as beautiful as the sunset, captivating all who beheld her. Yinzhen's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask, "Shall I paint one for you?"
"You want to paint me, Master?" Changning was slightly surprised, having never seen the Fourth Master paint before, but she was immediately delighted. She quickly ordered someone to set up a desk.
While having Su Peisheng prepare the materials, Yinzhen said, "You should also set up a small study here, otherwise I'll always be using your desk when I come over. It will also be more convenient for me to handle some official business."
"Alright, let them start construction then. It will be ready for Grandpa to use when he comes back at the end of the year."
"Yes, leave this to Zhang Qilin. Tell them to walk carefully so as not to disturb your pregnancy."
"Alright, sit here and I'll draw for you."
Changning felt slightly uncomfortable, as this was the first time she had ever experienced this before. In fact, in modern times, she loved taking photos and posting pictures. She had visited many places and regularly updated her WeChat Moments. What young girl doesn't like to look beautiful?
However, this was the first time someone had painted her in a picture. Changning's thoughts drifted away. She remembered that when she went to the Songhua River, there were people who did sketching by the river, specializing in portraits. They charged ten or twenty yuan a painting, she couldn't remember exactly.
She found it novel at the time and wanted to try it, but her mother thought it was boring and didn't agree to let her do it, which was a bit of a regret. She also wondered what her appearance looked like in the eyes of the Fourth Prince.
Fourth Master is talented, so his drawing skills shouldn't be bad, right? My own drawing skills are terrible; I can only draw stick figures. It's so embarrassing.
However, when talking about her parents, Changning felt a pang of sadness, hoping that they were doing well in modern times.
I also had a loving father and mother, and three older brothers, back in the Qing Dynasty. I wonder when I will be able to see them again.
As she thought about it, Changning got sleepy.
Yes, ever since she got pregnant, she has been eating and sleeping a lot, as if she could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.
She didn't sleep for long; her posture was wrong, and her neck hurt. When she woke up, she found herself covered with a blanket. Rubbing her eyes, she saw that Yinzhen had already started washing his hands.
"Sir, are you finished drawing?"
"You're awake? You've finished drawing, come and take a look."
Changning suppressed his excitement, slowly walked to the desk, and stared intently at the book.
The woman in the painting has a beautiful face, but she lacks some of the usual coquettishness and possesses a gentle and maternal glow, giving her a somewhat goddess-like charm. A faint smile plays on her lips as she leans back in a soft chair, a blooming jade hairpin adorning her temple.
The beautiful woman and the jade hairpin complement each other perfectly, a sight of unparalleled beauty.
Changning seemed to be suddenly touched, and gently stroked the person in the painting, her voice very soft, "Is this how you see me, Master?"
"The person in the painting is not even one in ten thousand like the fairy Yao."
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